Manicotti

For Italian-American cooking, simple

Like Southern food, simple. What are we making? Well, I need your help in making a cheesy manicotti

Now, we're going to start by boiling our pasta with a little kosher salt. So you got arigate

Yes. Come on. It's arigate, right? We got arigate, and we're going to put the arigate

I don't know where you get that from R-I-C-O-T-T-A. Streak, baby. Streak

All right. OK. Come on. We've got mozzarella. Mozzarella. We've got provolone

Okay, provolone. And we're using a frozen spinach. I get it. Because we're going to mix that with all these yummy ingredients

Okay. So if you would start shredding our cheese. I got you. And I'm going to be mixing up our filling

So I've got our 15 ounces of ricotta. So what's the egg for

Is it buying to make it a little pepper? Yeah, because we don't want our..

You don't want the regatta to be too soft, right? Or whatever your mama calls it. Yeah

We don't want it to come out. And this will stick us together

You don't have to season that at all, no? Yeah, I'm going to put a little Italian seasoning in it

A teaspoon of Italian seasoning. And then we're just going to mix up our..

Como se llama? Yes. With our egg. This is how the Italian women have big arms, you know

They're going to sit here all day and grate this. Now we just need to drain our spinach as much as possible before we add it in All right let add about a cup and a half of the mozzarella

Okay. A cup of provolone. Check the macaroni. Yes, ma'am. Now this is still too hard

Is it tearing up? No, no, it's still too hard, but it's starting to tear. Oh, okay. That's what you want

You want it a little firm, right? Right. But we're going to bake this. El dente. Yes

Tough to the teeth. Firm to the tooth. Firm to the tooth. That's all right. I knew it had something to do with teeth and hard

We're going to take this out. We're going to take this out. Okay. Now, you're going to rinse this off

The macaroni is going to cool it off a little bit. Easy for us to handle, right? Okay, if you say so

Yes, ma'am. All right, now, we've got our sauce over here. I'm going to get our dish

Oh, this is old school. This isn't a pastry bag. This is one

You ain't got no pastry bag at home. It's a regular Ziploc kind of bag. Yeah

We're going to fill this with your ricotta, I guess, right? Yes. And then we'll make our own little bag out of this

I want you to show me how you would stuff your shells in your restaurant

I'll line our pan with marinara sauce again. We're going to seal this up. Okay

And we're going to make a little bag. And we're going to cut. Let's just take a little piece

And I'll take that so that won't get in our... Yeah, it won't go in there. You want to hold one

Yes, I'll hold one. You hold it I fill it Okay look at there You ready If it not perfect no big deal right That right Whoa Uh That okay Oh no I thought your bag was clean No no no no no no

Get a little bit in there. Push it in. See, my mother, people get a little offended with your hands, right

My mother cooked all her life with her hands. Exactly right. That's good

It doesn't have to be perfect. That's good. All right. So there we go. There's one

Yum, this looks pretty good, Steve. So this is really fun

So how would you do it if you were by yourself? I'd go to the store and buy them

We're going to put this sauce on it. Guess what time it are

What do we got? It is time to take out this wonderful..

You want to do it? Yes, ma'am. So this is the monogathe? Yes, and look at that

Oh, that's beautiful. And we can't... Look how gorgeous that is. Watch your hands

So we got to have us a little garlic bread. Now, I've got our pan heating up right here, Steve

Okay. So just cut us off a chunk any way you want to cut it. Yes, ma'am

Down the middle or like that is great. And I've got a little butter

A little butter? A little butter. We going to add some garlic powder and a little dried parsley

You okay? Look at that. That's beautiful. I had the pan really nice and hot

I'm going to go ahead and turn it off. Why don't you plate those up for us and I'll watch this bread

I'm going to eat two. Okay. You eat one? Yes. I'll do it first

Okay. No, one is a gracious plenty. Okay. Monogathe. In my dreams

All right, how many pieces of bread you want? Two. Two. Everything comes in two in my world

You mind if I take a little vase of gold, put it on top just a little bit? Oh, I want you to take that vase of gold and put it there

Never above you, never below you, just always with you. I love that, and I've got one for you

I'm listening. They're tall ships, they're small ships. They're pretty ships, and they're ugly ships

But the best ship of all is friendship. 100%. Best dishes and love to you, baby

Same to you. Now let's eat. Dutti mangiare. Dutti mangiare. I'm starving, too

Eat up, baby